My dog is pacing and gagging without throwing up. Is it bloat?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The symptoms you are describing sound like an emergency. The description of heavy breathing, retching, and contracting abdomen sound like the symptoms of a gastric dilatation/volvulus, or bloat. This happens when the stomach is filled with air and can even twist on itself and is more common in large breed dogs. The condition is extremely uncomfortable, and requires immediate stabilization and possibly surgery. This can be life-threatening and requires immediate veterinary care, especially if there is torsion. I recommend getting your dog to the vet as soon as possible. There are 24-hour emergency clinics in most cities that are open overnight and will be able to stabilize your dog.

Hello, thank you for your question about Lelo. Dry heaving/retching and producing no vomit can be a sign of a serious life-threatening condition known as GDV (or bloat). I would recommend having Lelo seen by a veterinarian immediately so that they can examine him. They will likely recommend performing an x-ray of his abdomen and determine the need for other diagnostics. Hope this helps, good luck!

Hi, if the retching has ceased after those 10 seconds and after Piper brought up that little bit of bile I would not worry about a possible Bloat/GDV. With bloat and gastric torsion, normally they are unable to settle, pacing around distressed and on and off retching unproductively. They are salivating, and looking very distressed. As time goes by, the tummy becomes swollen but this is not always visible until things have progressed quite a bit. Hope this helps ! I would wait and keep an eye on her, if she vomits/ retches again within the next hour, have her checked over so she could have some medications to help her and make her feel better ! If she should look distressed, panting, and pacing I would have her checked over right away.

I would recommend taking Avery to an emergency veterinarian as soon as possible. It sounds like you could be describing an unproductive retch which is a sign of gastric dilation and volvulus (GDV) also known as bloat. GDV is very common in Great Danes and can quickly become fatal if not addressed right away. Of course it's also possible that she is simply gagging or coughing but in my opinion it is much better to be safe and have a veterinarian rule out GDV. They may recommend an x-ray to look at Avery's stomach position.

Hi there! Thanks for letting us take care of you today! Dry heaving is concerning that can be seen with emergent conditions like gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV), especially if accompanied by a bloated abdomen, severe lethargy, collapse, pale gums and/or inappetence. Other possibilities foreign body obstruction. I recommend that you have Duke evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible if the above clinical signs are observed. Treatment recommendations will depend on the findings. A GDV is a surgical emergency that needs emergency surgery. Hoping that everything goes well with your boy!

As long as she is acting ok you could monitor her for additional signs. If she starts retching, seems uncomfortable, starts drooling, is painful, or the distension persists then she should be examined by a vet. Your vet can take an X-ray to evaluate her abdomen and determine the exact cause of her problem.

If there is any abdominal enlargement or pain he needs to be assessed by a vet as an emergency - non-productive/white foamy vomit is very concerning in a dog which is eating as it can indicate an obstruction. A pancreatitis blood test may also be required depending on the results of the physical exam